


Kidnapped

by sugarandspace



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Angst with a Happy Ending, Famous Magnus Bane, Kidnapping, M/M, Malec Secret Santa 2019, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 02:33:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21796147
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sugarandspace/pseuds/sugarandspace
Summary: Magnus is worried when Alec doesn't reply to his texts and calls. What makes the worry turn to fear is the phonecall he receives from Alec's sister telling him he needs to come to Alec's house immediately. Something is wrong.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Comments: 8
Kudos: 182
Collections: The Malec Secret Santa - Edition 2019





	Kidnapped

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Better_Than_Chocolate](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Better_Than_Chocolate/gifts).



> You mentioned that you like famous AUs and crime AUs and I tried combining the two! I hope you like this! :)

Magnus checked his phone for what feels like the millionth time since he wrapped his last scene of the day. The clock on the screen showed little after 10 PM but there were no notifications for messages or calls. It was unusual since he and Alec usually texted each other during the day. Magnus could understand the silence if he knew Alec was busy, but when they had talked on the phone a little over ten hours ago, Alec had told him he planned to spend the day at his house.

Magnus had been busy most of the day, since the movie he was starring in was on the last days of filming and everyone was working hard to stay within their deadlines. He had managed to send Alec a few messages to which Alec had replied almost immediately, until about 6 PM when the replies had stopped. At first, Magnus had thought maybe he was busy, but it had been four hours and he hadn’t heard a word. Even his attempt to call his boyfriend had ended up to voicemail.

That’s why instead of heading home, as soon as he had changed back to his own clothes and had hastily washed off his make-up, he walked to his car and started driving towards Alec’s house.

The best part about filming in New York was that he could stay home, or at Alec’s, instead of having to spend time away from his boyfriend. They’d been through that multiple times during their two-year relationship, and Magnus hated each time more than the previous.

He loved his job, had wanted to be an actor ever since he was young. He had worked hard to reach the point where he was now, going from a big project to a big project and enjoying every second of it. Well, ever since meeting Alec traveling for work had started to be less of a joy and more of a hindrance, especially because it was rare Alec could go with him.

Keeping their relationship a secret was a mutual agreement. While Magnus had nothing against the idea of people knowing about them, he understood why Alec wanted to stay out of the spotlight that would definitely be pointed at him if the public found out they were dating. There was already enough questions when people thought they were just good friends. If Alec were to travel with him every time Magnus filmed something at a different location, people would get suspicious. Besides, Alec had his own company - a martial arts gym he ran with his brother Jace - and he couldn’t spend a lot of time away from that.

Magnus was halfway to Alec’s when his phone rang.

Hopeful, he took his eyes off the road to see if Alec was finally calling him, maybe to explain that he had fallen asleep reading or had ended up going to work even though he was supposed to have a day off. But he had no such luck. Instead his blood turned cold when he saw that it was Alec’s sister Isabelle who was calling him.

He really liked Alec’s sister, considered her a good friend, but she never called him. All their conversations were had either in person over coffee or via texts.

Glad he was on a quieter road, Magnus pulled the car to the side of it and turned the engine off, answering the call with shaky fingers.

“Hello?”

“Magnus!” Came Isabelle’s frantic reply. “Magnus you have to come over to Alec’s.”

“What’s wrong?” Magnus asked, his head spinning with endless possibilities. “Isabelle is Alec okay?”

“I-” Isabelle said but she hesitated. “I don’t think I can tell you more on the phone. Just please, please hurry, okay? You need to come over, I don’t know what to do.”

“Is Alec there?” Magnus asked and turned the engine back on. “Isabelle you’re scaring me.”

“Just - please hurry.”

Isabelle ended the call and Magnus threw the phone to the passenger’s seat and started driving. He was glad for the lack of traffic and the easy roads he needed to take to get to Alec’s neighborhood, because he was barely able to focus on driving. He didn’t know what was going on but it hadn’t escaped him that Isabelle hadn’t told him that Alec was alright. 

After what should have been a twenty-minute drive but that Magnus managed to drive in ten, he parked in front of Alec’s house. It was small and in a neighborhood with slightly questionable neighbors, but nothing seemed out of place when Magnus looked at the house in the light of the streetlamps. The curtains were drawn but there was light in which Magnus knew to be the kitchen and living room windows. Isabelle’s car was parked on the short driveway, next to Alec’s.

Magnus got out of his car and rushed to the door, finding it unlocked. He burst inside and saw Isabelle jump in surprise and turn to him from where she was standing on the doorway to the living room. Magnus immediately took notice of the tears on her eyes and rushed to her, holding her arms gently as he looked into her eyes for answers.

“What is going on, Isabelle?” Magnus asked. He was going crazy with worry.

“Someone took him,” Isabelle explained as she tried to hold back her sobs. “We were supposed to meet but when I got here the door was open and he wasn’t here. I called Jace too, he’s on his way over.” 

She turned to look at the living room and Magnus did the same, taking in the chaos in the room. It looked like Alec had put up a real fight, if the broken coffee table and upturned couch were anything to judge by.

Magnus felt coldness wash over him as he tried to understand the situation. His ears were ringing and he found it hard to breathe, but he tried to stay somewhat composed so he could function. They needed to do something to find Alec.

“Who would take him?” Magnus asked, unable to take his eyes off of the destroyed room. Had Alec been hurt?

“They left a note,” Isabelle said as she turned and lead Magnus to the kitchen. On the table was a A4 paper with a few lines of typed text. Magnus walked towards it with unsteady feet and covered his mouth with his hand as he read the message. 

_ Magnus Bane _

_ There’s something we want from you, so we took someone we think you’d want back. How much is your friend worth to you? Show us by coming to the warehouse at the address below tonight at 2 AM and bring your online banking credentials with you. If we find out you contacted the police, he will be the one facing the consequences. _

“Isabelle I’m so sorry,” Magnus said, his words coming out as a whisper. He didn’t have the strength for more.

“Magnus this is not your fault,” Isabelle said firmly. She put her hand on Magnus’ shoulder and turned him to look at her. 

Magnus let out a hollow laugh.

“That note is addressed to me,” he said motioning towards the paper. “This happened because of  _ me _ .”

“But it is not your fault,” Isabelle repeated. “We need to focus on how to get him back.”

Her determination was one of the things Magnus admired about Isabelle. The situation was undoubtedly one of the most serious ones she’d ever been in but she managed to calm her nerves and focus on what needed to be done. Magnus drew strength from her calmness, even though he knew it was hanging by a thread.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes,” Magnus said and he meant those words with everything he had. He was the reason Alec was in this situation and he was going to do his all to get him out of it. 

“You are going to meet them?”

“Yes,” Magnus said.

“But what if it’s not so simple? What if they hurt you?” Isabelle asked and she looked concerned. 

“I won’t do it alone,” Magnus replied. He was trying to figure out a plan and knew there was one person who would have to be a part of it. “I know the local police captain. We can trust Luke Garroway.”

“But they said not to call the police,” Isabelle protested. 

“I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t fully trust him,” Magnus said. “He’s a good man and knows what he’s doing. I realise there’s a risk but we need help. Like you said, there’s no guarantee they are going to let me or Alec out of there even if I do what they said.”

Isabelle was quiet for a moment before she nodded.

“Okay,” she said. “I trust you on this. I know you wouldn’t do anything that would put my brother in danger.”

Magnus felt a pang of guilt at the words but he didn’t need to figure out a reply because suddenly the door burst open and Jace came in.

“What’s going on?!”

After Magnus and Isabelle explained the situation and their plan to Jace, and after Jace had gotten his anger under control, the three started working on their plan. They couldn’t risk calling the police in case the kidnappers listened their phones, so Isabelle drove to the police station to meet captain Garroway in person. They only had about three hours until the time of the meeting, and they needed to act fast. 

Magnus wanted to do something but he was forced to stay at Alec’s apartment, surrounded by constant reminders of what had happened. He paced the hallway, unable to go to the living room. It felt like the time was going slower than normal and it pained him to think about how Alec was feeling at the moment.

He was at the living room doorway, looking at all the damage and wondering how everything might have gone down. There was no blood in sight, and Magnus hoped that Alec wasn’t hurt.

“We are going to get him back,” Jace said and Magnus jumped slightly as he was brought out of his thoughts. He hadn’t heard the blond walk behind him. 

“I’m sorry,” Magnus said faintly, needing to say it. Jace had been quiet ever since Isabelle left to the police station almost an hour ago, and Magnus couldn't help but wonder if it was because he was blaming Magnus.

The two of them hadn’t always been on the best of terms, and things had been kind of rocky when Magnus and Alec first started spending time together. Magnus had been at the gym to train for a fighting choreography for a movie he was filming at the time, and Jace had feared that Magnus’ flirty attitude would leave his brother hurt in the end.

After that, he had proved himself and they had become friends, but Magnus wasn’t sure how Jace would take this new turn in events. He had hurt Alec, even though it was indirectly. 

“You don’t need to apologise,” Jace said gently. 

Magnus turned to look at him with an unsure expression on his face. That was not the reply he was expecting.

“I wasn’t sure about you two at the beginning,” Jace said. “But I’ve seen how good you are to him - how good you two are to each other. You shouldn’t blame yourself. I don’t. Izzy doesn’t. And I’m certain Alec doesn’t either.”

Magnus didn’t know how much he needed to hear that until the words were out of Jace’s mouth. On some level he thought that maybe Alec wouldn’t blame him, but to hear it from one of the people who knew Alec the best, it meant a lot. Still, he’d rather hear Alec say it himself.

Magnus bit his lip and nodded, not trusting his voice enough to reply. It showed how out of their depth they were with the situation when Jace pulled him in for a hug.

“It’s going to be okay,” he said, and Magnus tried his best to believe him.

The rest of the time was spent in relative silence until Isabelle’s car turned to the driveway. She came back inside carrying her large purse and setting it down on the kitchen table, next to the note no one had dared to move.

“Luke said he’ll have his team ready a small distance from the docks at the time of the meeting,” she told them while she dug around the bag. “He wants you to wear this, so they know when to come.”

She showed them a small piece of wire, roughly the size of a match. It resembled one in shape too, with one end thicker than the other.

“It’s a small microphone,” Isabelle explained. “It should be inconspicuous enough that the kidnappers won’t notice it.”

“Okay,” Magnus nodded and took the small device. It looked like something out of a bond movie and Magnus was afraid he was going to break it.

“There’s just one thing,” Isabelle said hesitantly.

“What is it?” Jace asked.

“Magnus needs to go in completely by himself. There’s no way to give you an earpiece that the kidnappers wouldn’t notice,” Isabelle said and looked at Magnus apologetically.

“I understand,” Magnus said. He was nervous as hell but he knew he needed to do this. For Alec.

The way Jace and Isabelle were looking at him screamed of nerves as well.

Isabelle reached over to take the microphone and took a small roll of tape from her purse.

“Jace, can you find me scissors?”

Isabelle lifted the collar of Magnus’ button down and taped the microphone underneath it before straightening it back down. After that she went over few of the tips Luke had told her that would possibly help Magnus keep the kidnappers happy until the police would be able to help him.

After that, all they could do was wait.

* * *

The docks at night would have been a scary place even without the knowledge that he was walking towards a group of probably armed criminals. 

Magnus had left his car at the parking lot and was walking to the direction where the warehouses were. He spotted the door with a number 34 above the door and his heart beat fast as he tried the handle and found the door opening.

As he stepped inside, he noticed three people, all dressed in black and wearing ski masks. He jumped when he heard the door behind him close, and saw a fourth person behind him, holding a rather sizable gun in his hands.

What shifted his attention away from the men though, was the muffled version of his name he heard from the corner of the room. Magnus’ eyes snapped to the direction and he noticed Alec, gagged and sitting on a chair, tied to it by his legs and torso and his hands bound behind his back.

“Alec!” he screamed, but as soon as he took a step towards him he was stopped.

“Don’t move,” a male voice said sternly and Magnus turned to face one of the people in masks. Some of his fear was replaced by anger as he had seen the bruise on Alec’s cheek and the terrified expression in his eyes.

“What have you done to him?!” Magnus asked.

“What needed to be done,” one of the others said. “He tried to put up a fight and needed to be shown his place.”

“Four against one doesn’t sound like a fair fight,” Magnus commented, remembering that he was supposed to give the police whatever information he could. “It hardly seems fair, especially since you have guns.”

“Fair play has no place in our world,” the one who had spoken first replied. He motioned towards a laptop they had in the middle of the room, balanced on top of a wooden box. “I’d really like to see your account now. See how much you can give us.”

“That is, of course, if the man is worth it to you,” a third voice taunted as she walked towards where Alec was sitting. She used a knife she was holding to trail it down Alec’s cheek, the sharp blade drawing a line of red through the bruise.

“Don’t hurt him!” Magnus said and took a step towards him. He was stopped by the person behind him as he felt a hand on his arm, halting him in his movement. Next he was roughly tugged to the direction of the laptop while Alec screamed his muffled protest.

“Do as we say and he won’t be harmed,” the one who seemed to be their leader said.

Magnus did as he was told, logging in to his account. The man standing next to him whistled as he saw the amount displayed there.

“Would you look at that,” he said. “That’ll guarantee us a good life for a while.”

The others gathered around the laptop as well, curious to see how much money they would be getting. Magnus saw that as a potential moment for the police to make their move, so he thought of a way to inform them.

“Are you all just going to stand here around the laptop or are you going to give me the account where I’m supposed to transfer this money?”

The kidnappers didn’t have a chance to reply before the door was kicked in and several cops flooded the building. While they were distracted by the police, Magnus used the opportunity to run to Alec. He glanced behind him to make sure no guns were pointed at them, but the kidnappers had already been surrounded by the police.

“Alec,” he breathed out as he dropped to his knees in front of his boyfriend. He reached up to untie the cloth that was preventing him from speaking and sighed in relief when he heard Alec say his name.

“Magnus.” Alec’s voice was hoarse and Magnus shushed him, leaning in to kiss the corner of his mouth where the fabric had rubbed the skin red.

“Shh,” Magnus said, his voice trembling. “It’s okay now. You are safe.”

The amount of relief was overwhelming, and Magnus’ hands shook as he tried to untie the ropes from around Alec. He was having little to no success before an officer came to them and cut the ropes off.

As soon as he was free, Alec stood up and embraced Magnus. He was unsteady on his feet, probably a result of being tied up for so long, but Magnus held him steady. He buried his face into Alec’s shoulder and breathed in deeply, hoping the familiar scent would calm down his racing heart.

“I love you,” Alec whispered and the words made the tears flood over from Magnus’ eyes. They lifted a weight from his shoulders he’d been carrying ever since he found out Alec had been taken.

“I love you too,” Magnus said.

They stood like that until an officer interrupted them.

“There’s an ambulance outside,” he told them as they pulled apart. Magnus nodded and wiped his eyes and the officer walked away, towards the others that were collecting evidence from the warehouse. The kidnappers were nowhere to be seen and Magnus assumed they had already been arrested and were on their way to the station.

They started walking towards the door, their arms wrapped around each other’s waists, keeping the other close. Before they could make it outside they were stopped by Luke.

“Magnus,” he greeted with a nod. “A word of warning, the press has somehow found out about this. Not that you’re involved, but that there was a police operation at the docks. There are several reporters outside and you will be caught on pictures.”

“I don’t care,” Magnus said. There wasn’t a chance he was going to leave the place from the back door, not when there was an ambulance waiting for Alec in front of the building. But he also realised that it wasn’t his choice to make, so he looked at his boyfriend. “Unless you do?”

“I want you to stay with me,” Alec said simply and that was all Magnus needed to hear. Luke nodded at them and they continued their walk outside. The reporters were held a bit further away, but it was obvious when they spotted Alec and Magnus. The noise was so loud Magnus couldn’t tell their questions apart, but he could see the flashes of the camera aimed at them.

Everyone would know about him and Alec before the night was over.

But it didn’t mean much in the grand scheme of things, and Alec and Magnus continued their way to the ambulance that was waiting for them. They were almost there when two people ran towards them.

“Alec!” Isabelle shouted before she wrapped Alec in a hug. Alec grunted at the force of the hug but as Isabelle apologised and tried to pull away he didn’t let her go. After the hug was over it was Jace’s turn.

“I’m okay,” Alec assured his siblings. “I’m okay.”

The paramedic signaled them to come closer and Alec climbed to the back of the ambulance. They told them they were going to drive him to the hospital where they would be able to do a more thorough medical check, and Jace and Isabelle agreed to meet them there while Magnus climbed to the back of the ambulance with him.

On their way to the hospital, he listened as Alec listed his injuries, which didn’t seem to be much worse from what Magnus had already seen. Some bruising around his body and the damage done to his face, but no serious injuries.

Magnus was relieved but still unable to relax.

In the hospital, he was forced to wait outside while they examined Alec and questioned him about what had happened. He gave his side of the story to another officer and saw Izzy and Jace be lead into the empty patient room to be questioned as well. 

It was a long night, and the sun was already rising to the sky when they were allowed to see Alec next. By then Magnus’ phone was full of notifications from social media as the people found out what had happened and probably put two and two together and realised he and Alec were an item. 

He told Alec that when his siblings had given them a moment of privacy as they went for the search for the cafeteria. 

“I don’t mind,” Alec replied. “I want to be with you, and I don’t care if everyone knows it. It’s liberating in a way, because now we don’t need to worry about how we act in public.”

“You have a point,” Magnus agreed. He was sitting on a chair next to Alec’s bed where his boyfriend was forced to stay for the rest of the day just so the doctors were sure he had no concussion or any hidden injuries. He was holding his hand, absently drawing shapes to the back of it.

“What we went through tonight was a lot,” Alec said. “And it put things into perspective.”

“I don’t know what I would have done if something had happened to you,” Magnus said, biting his lip. It was a thought that he hadn’t been able to shake. 

“Hey,” Alec said. “Look at me.”

Mangus did as he was told, looking up at Alec who was smiling lightly.

“I’m okay,” he said. “We’re okay.”

Magnus nodded, trying to let the words sink in.

“I hope you know you’re staying with me until you’re one hundred percent healed,” Magnus said. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Alec replied with a smile on his face.

Magnus didn’t mention that helping him heal wasn’t the only reason he wanted Alec to stay with him, but a good security system also had a big part to play in it. It was not the right time to ask, not after everything that had happened in the past twenty-four hours, but Magnus hoped that Alec would like to stay at his loft even after he had healed. It was a big step in their relationship and they had already taken a leap by revealing it to the public, so this could wait for a while.

It wasn’t a problem however, because it seemed like they both agreed that they had all the time in the world.


End file.
